Belarus

The Republic of Belarus is a country in Eastern Europe located in the area between Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and the Baltics. Its name means "White Rus", referring to the Slavic lands which remained independent of the Asian Mongol Empire. Belarus declared independence from the Soviet Union on 27 July 1990, and former CPSU official Alexander Lukashenko took over Belarus in 1994, ruling over the country for over 20 years. The country was oppressed, and its 9,498,700 people had to live under a dictatorship. The capital is Minsk, while Brest, Grodno, Gomel, and Vitebsk are other major cities.